PEOPLE planning to eat out or hold work parties this Christmas can check out the premises' food hygiene rating before they book their festive fare.

Ninety per cent of food premises in West Somerset included in the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme are rated as a four or five.

These are the highest scores possible for a food establishment and indicate that hygiene practices and procedures are good or very good.

Food safety officers from West Somerset Council inspect food businesses in the district and check how well the business is meeting the law by looking at:

l How hygienically the food is handled - how it is prepared, cooked, reheated, cooled and stored.

l The condition of the structure of the buildings – the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities.

l How the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe,

At the end of the inspection, the business is given one of the six ratings. The top rating of five means that the business was found to have 'very good' hygiene standards whereas a zero rating indicates a serious problem.

Cllr Keith Turner, West Somerset Council's lead member for environmental health, said: "People pay good money for food and services so they have a right to know how good the premises' food hygiene standards are as public health is important to all of us.

"Our main policy of helping businesses achieve good standards where improvement is necessary is clearly paying off and I am delighted to see so many getting top scores."

Christmas diners can now 'look before they book' by checking out the Food Hygiene Rating online at http://www.food.gov.uk/ratings">www.food.gov.uk/ratings.

People can also look out for the scheme's green and black stickers and certificates that food businesses are being encouraged to visibly display in premises across the country.

Cllr Turner added: "As this is a national scheme, visitors from outside the area can check and compare ratings when considering a visit West Somerset."